ARTICLES ABOUT ZACH THORNTON BY DATE - PAGE 4

If Wednesday's match at Soldier Field against the Metro-Stars was a homecoming for the Fire, defender Jack Stewart was homecoming king in a 2-2 tie. After trailing 2-0 for nearly the entire game, the Fire got on the board with an unassisted goal by midfielder Chris Armas in the 90th minute and then tied it up in stoppage time with a header by Stewart. The Fire clinched a playoff berth and will return to the postseason for the first time since 2003, when it reached the MLS Cup championship.

Chris Armas assisted on the Fire's goal in regulation and scored the game-winning penalty kick Wednesday night in a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal victory over the host Rochester (N.Y.) Raging Rhinos. Armas sent a free kick to Samuel Caballero, whose header bounced off both posts before beating Rochester goalkeeper Scott Vallow in the 34th minute. The Rhinos tied it in the 60th minute when Doug Miller got behind the Fire defense and beat keeper Zach Thornton. The score remained 1-1 through the rest of regulation and two 15-minute overtimes, setting up the penalty kick shootout.

Maybe it was the heat, or that they have played three games this week. It also could have been that many of the regulars were out, but in any case the Fire players' performed poorly against last-place Columbus in a 1-1 tie Saturday at Soldier Field. The Fire (11-6-3) did extend its home unbeaten streak to eight games, but the energy and effort displayed wasn't close to that of the visitors. On the Crew's goal, Fire keeper Zach Thornton never left his feet on Eric Vasquez's blast from 30 yards that appeared stoppable at the 54-minute mark.

Storied A.C. Milan is coming to Soldier Field on July 27 for an exhibition against the Fire, the Fire's ownership group announced Thursday. The Italian league superpower, featuring a star-studded lineup that includes 2004 European MVP Andriy Shevchenko of Ukraine, has won 17 Serie A titles in its 106-year history, most recently in 2004. The exhibition, taking place just before the MLS All-Star Game, is a nice way to finish the first half of the season, Fire coach Dave Sarachan said.

Thiago, the midfielder from Brazil, and Chad Barrett, the forward from Beaverton, Ore., have become pretty good buddies, despite the fact they can't talk to one another very much. Even though one speaks Spanish and the other English, they communicate in the language of soccer, and Saturday night that was good enough. Thiago was on the end of a Barrett cross in the 91st minute to give the Fire a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes in the home opener before a crowd of 12,907 at Soldier Field.

Henry Ring and D.J. Countess, who split goalkeeping duties for the Fire this season, and veteran midfielder Andy Williams were among eight players the Fire left unprotected for Friday's Major League Soccer expansion draft. Longtime goalkeeper Zach Thornton, who played in Portugal this year, was protected. Each MLS team can protect 12 players; the rest can be taken by Chivas USA or Real Salt Lake, MLS' new teams. - Fans in Madrid taunted black players by making monkey sounds whenever England's Shaun Wright-Phillips and Ashley Cole had the ball during Spain's 1-0 victory in an exhibition game.

In a season filled with inconsistency, the Fire has relied on its Iron Curtin. Fourth-year defender Jim Curtin always shows up, literally. In 31 games (22 in Major League Soccer) this season he has played in 2,688 of a possible 2,823 minutes. He's the only Fire player to start every game this year. Each match the 25-year-old plays with a quiet intensity and toughness. "He's a strong, tough kid; he's a Philly kid," coach Dave Sarachan said. "He's a guy who comes to work every day, never takes a day off. That counts a lot within your group."

Several players are banged up, but Fire coach Dave Sarachan said his team is ready to go for its opener on Saturday at Kansas City. "We're in the same kind of mindset that we were at this time last year," said Sarachan, speaking this week from the team's temporary training camp in Mississippi. "We're optimistic. We've endured a long and successful preseason and I would like to feel we are ready." Captain Chris Armas and defender Jim Curtin are listed as probable for the 7:30 p.m. contest at Arrowhead Stadium.

Although there's a slim chance that goalie Zach Thornton will return to the Fire this summer, the team is proceeding as if the eight-year veteran is gone for good. Thornton, the Fire's mainstay in goal since 1998, signed a short-term contract with Portugal's Benfica last week and is expected to play with the Lisbon-based team at least through the end of its season in May. "There's a chance that Benfica would not renew Thornton's contract option in May, which would make him available again," Fire general manager Peter Wilt said Monday.

Veteran goalkeeper Zach Thornton may have played his final game for the Chicago Fire. The team's starting goalie since its 1998 inaugural season, Thornton signed a six-month contract with Portugal's Benfica. ---------- Edited by Phillip Thompson (plthompson@tribune.com) and Drew Sottardi (dsottardi@tribune.com)